G2 edge out 9z to reach first grand final in CS2

G2's impressive run with Stewie2K continues as they edged out a competitive 9z side in the semi-finals.

G2 have made it to the grand final at IEM Dallas after passing 9z 2-0 in a chaotic semi-final series. On Sunday, they will go up against Vitality for a chance to grab the title and the $100,000 first-place prize, as well as a notch towards the Intel Grand Slam.

With the victory, G2 secure their first grand final appearance in Counter-Strike 2 and will get a chance to win their first trophy since their last title decider at IEM Cologne 2023.

As usual, they relied on their individuals to pass a 9z side that looked surprisingly composed for their first appearance in a big arena. The Latin American squad put on an impressive show on Inferno and only came up short due to NiKo's superb effort in the final stages of the second half.

The Bosnian star put up a game-equalizing quad-kill and went on to close G2's map pick with a 1v1 clutch and a triple spraydown in the last three rounds.

9z headed into Dust2 with confidence after they had racked up a 10-0 streak on it, including a win over Vitality, and looked to equalize the game after getting off to a great start on the Terrorist side. Clutches from Antonio "⁠MartinezSa⁠" Martinez and Matias "⁠HUASOPEEK⁠" Ibañez Hernandez helped prevent G2 from getting consecutive rounds and secured 9z a 6-2 lead.

The favorites broke the rut with a 2v2 A retake as they took advantage of an overeager 9z duo's misguided peeks, and from there the momentum shifted. A halfbuy win from 9z in round four of the second half gave the underdogs some respite, but G2 quickly returned to winning ways to lock down the second map 13-8.

"Super happy, I could never have imagined we would have gone all the way to the final," NiKo commented on the stage after the match. "The game was not pretty, not clean from both sides, but it was fucking exciting."